This Girl Made College Football History

This Arizona Teen Just Made College Football History

For high school athletes around the country, standing out in a sea of talent ain’t easy. This is particularly true when students are dead set on capturing the fleeting interests of coaches from prospective colleges.

However football player and senior, Becca Longo at Basha High School in Chandler, Arizona was determined. So the 18-year-old did what any teen might feel compelled to do in such a situation, she did her research, and followed the head coach Timm Rosenbach of Adams State — her college of choice — on Twitter. That’s when he noticed her.

“She kind of put herself out there to let everyone know she wants to do this," said Rosenbach in an interview with CNN. "If she's able to compete at a level we think she's able to compete at, we should afford her that opportunity to do that."

The teen who began playing competitive football her sophomore year of high school, was overwhelmed when she heard the news. “I was completely shocked," Longo said to CNN. Everybody who has it on video said my jaw dropped to the floor."

In February, Longo visited Adams State college in Colorado and fell in love with the campus. While Rosenbach admitted to being in awe of Longo’s athleticism, he admitted it was her personality that also grabbed his attention. Ultimately he placed the ball in her court and Longo followed up.

"She's got great mental toughness. She has to, if she's put herself in this position. By having that mental toughness, she deserves an opportunity right there to compete," Rosenbach said to CNN.

Soon after her visit she was awarded a scholarship. "I was so emotional," she said. "I was just so grateful that somebody believed in me and that I could actually do it."

It seems those who knew her never doubted she would make it. As a fan on Twitter wrote alongside a photo of a little girl wearing a Longo jersey, she's been "inspiring little girls even before shattering glass ceilings."